HOBOKEN -- Mayor Dawn Zimmer met with Senator Bob Menendez and the US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan on Friday to discuss receiving more aid for Hoboken residents.

Mayor Zimmer and city officials have been lobbying FEMA and the federal government in order to improve equality in how the city of Hoboken’s flood insurance policies are treated. National flood insurance programs do not treat basements as permanent dwellings.

“For a lot of people in Hoboken, that is their home,” said city spokesman Juan Melli. “They are not getting the same treatment as someone on a [higher] floor.”

Mayor Zimmer strongly encourages residents to register their losses with FEMA. In order for damages to the city to be accurately assessed, the damages need to be fully documented.

“It is extremely important that everyone get registered,” Zimmer said Friday. “Even if people are getting discouraged by the process, they need to make sure they are registered, so that we can ensure that more help is going to be made available to them.”

The city is also looking to fill the gap between what FEMA and flood insurance will cover and what it will take to rebuild residents’ homes. To donate, visit RebuildHoboken.org